Boom! Big commit tonight.

#56
#56
HooahVol said:
That has bumped Tennessee's '26 class to 13th on rivals. For '25 we are 11th. That got me thinking, how good a class do you need to actually be in the running for a NC? Has the portal made that question obsolete? I don't think so as the top 5 schools for '25 and '26 are Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State, all programs you can routinely bet on for the playoffs. However, as a caveat Phil Steele has Clemson preseason ranked #6 and is his sleeper team to win it all. Clemson, per rivals, was 23rd in '25 and is currently at 11th for '26 so they prove class rank is not everything. I guess my ultimate question is Tennessee a legitimate contender if they remain a top 15 recruiting program or do those 5 above just have too much depth for my Vols to compete? Ohio State definitely looked better at every position in the playoff game as much as I hate to admit it.
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Clemson playing in the ACC allows them to compete yearly with that recruiting
 
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#57
#57
RockyTopTexas said:
None of that matters.. portal players come and go too
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And that’s why you have to keep recruiting your current players to stay and new transfers to come. Whatever you want to call it, the coaches now have to recruit 365 days a year.
 
#61
#61
HooahVol said:
That has bumped Tennessee's '26 class to 13th on rivals. For '25 we are 11th. That got me thinking, how good a class do you need to actually be in the running for a NC? Has the portal made that question obsolete? I don't think so as the top 5 schools for '25 and '26 are Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State, all programs you can routinely bet on for the playoffs. However, as a caveat Phil Steele has Clemson preseason ranked #6 and is his sleeper team to win it all. Clemson, per rivals, was 23rd in '25 and is currently at 11th for '26 so they prove class rank is not everything. I guess my ultimate question is Tennessee a legitimate contender if they remain a top 15 recruiting program or do those 5 above just have too much depth for my Vols to compete? Ohio State definitely looked better at every position in the playoff game as much as I hate to admit it.
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I would say the minimum is consistently in the top 10 with a top 5 class every 3-4 years. Player development and retention is a huge part of it too. Top 5 classes mean nothing if you have a bunch of guys peel off every year.
 
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#63
#63
hUTch2002 said:
They didn’t have any top 5 classes those couple years they beat Bama.
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That was because they took small classes due to an unparalleled lack of attrition. They ranked 7th in recruiting with 17 commits the year they signed Lawrence, for instance. We have the same amount of commits in this incomplete class and are still ranked lower than that. The guys they got were quality, and they all stuck around. No one else could do that even then, let alone now.
 
#64
#64
CAVPUT said:
One 4 star doesn't make a class. Blind squirrel finds a nut eventually.
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I had to go look where the rankings. The tone of some of these comments make it sound like Tennessee is sitting in the top 5. It's a solid class but it's not the type to keep our guys from getting humbled a few times per year.
 
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#65
#65
HooahVol said:
That has bumped Tennessee's '26 class to 13th on rivals. For '25 we are 11th. That got me thinking, how good a class do you need to actually be in the running for a NC? Has the portal made that question obsolete? I don't think so as the top 5 schools for '25 and '26 are Texas, Georgia, Alabama, Oregon and Ohio State, all programs you can routinely bet on for the playoffs. However, as a caveat Phil Steele has Clemson preseason ranked #6 and is his sleeper team to win it all. Clemson, per rivals, was 23rd in '25 and is currently at 11th for '26 so they prove class rank is not everything. I guess my ultimate question is Tennessee a legitimate contender if they remain a top 15 recruiting program or do those 5 above just have too much depth for my Vols to compete? Ohio State definitely looked better at every position in the playoff game as much as I hate to admit it.
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Sure, but Clemson's classes were ranked 6th, 10th, 10th and 10th in the years before that. Those classes are what makes up the majority of their team now. The '25 recruiting class will be true freshman and the '26 class is not even on campus yet so the ranking of those classes is not very relevant to how good Clemson is now.
 
#66
#66
HooahVol said:
It has been said often here but stars are not the whole story. Butch got all starried eyes but did not build a complete team. I would much rather have a 4 star QB behind a 3 and 4 star offensive line then a 5 star qb with no protection. Heuple's strength so far is filling the holes in the roster.
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It has been said often but apparently you didn’t read any of it. The past dozen NCs all averaged above 50% of 4 and 5 star recruits for the 4 years before their NC. Ranging from about 52% to 82%, which meets your assertion that stars aren’t everything. But no one has won an NC in a dozen years without meeting that standard. Might that change with the portal? Of course. But until or unless it does the star rating system is key. It is not and never has claimed to be perfect but it’s darned accurate
 
#69
#69
DJS said:
Tennessee is inching closer but still falls below 50%. Last I looked they were around 47%.
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Yeah thats not going to cut it. I dont know what this staff needs to do but they have got to find a way to get our BC ratio up.
 
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#70
#70
LegionnaireOfTheMiserable said:
That was because they took small classes due to an unparalleled lack of attrition. They ranked 7th in recruiting with 17 commits the year they signed Lawrence, for instance. We have the same amount of commits in this incomplete class and are still ranked lower than that. The guys they got were quality, and they all stuck around. No one else could do that even then, let alone now.
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Perhaps you’re right, but most on here don’t look at the class size. They just say we can’t win championships if we don’t get top 5 classes. There’s more to it than that.
 
#71
#71
HooahVol said:
It has been said often here but stars are not the whole story. Butch got all starried eyes but did not build a complete team. I would much rather have a 4 star QB behind a 3 and 4 star offensive line then a 5 star qb with no protection. Heuple's strength so far is filling the holes in the roster.
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Was it Butch or Dooley who went 1 or 2 cycles without even taking an Oline-man?
 
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#73
#73
hUTch2002 said:
Perhaps you’re right, but most on here don’t look at the class size. They just say we can’t win championships if we don’t get top 5 classes. There’s more to it than that.
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You’ve falsely categorized the views held by “most on here.” It’s about the data. “most on here” cite the facts I mentioned above, which are -one more time-no team has won an NC the past dozen seasons with a blue chip % below 50% over the 4 seasons leading up to the NC. That’s not an opinion. As aI stated that may change with the portal etc. The issue that keeps this topic resurfacing is that people like you think their personal feelings or opinions mean more than data. They do not. A combination of arrogance and ignorance keep the topic current when it’s a one time convo with a sentient 8 year old.
 
#74
#74
DJS said:
You’ve falsely categorized the views held by “most on here.” It’s about the data. “most on here” cite the facts I mentioned above, which are -one more time-no team has won an NC the past dozen seasons with a blue chip % below 50% over the 4 seasons leading up to the NC. That’s not an opinion. As aI stated that may change with the portal etc. The issue that keeps this topic resurfacing is that people like you think their personal feelings or opinions mean more than data. They do not. A combination of arrogance and ignorance keep the topic current when it’s a one time convo with a sentient 8 year old.
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Ive rechecked the data and it’s actually the last 14 years rather than dozen years that no team has won an NC with 4 and 5 star recruiting classes below 50% over the previous 4 recruiting classes before their NC. The only issue keeping this topic alive is the arrogance of those posting their feelings and erroneous opinions. And their lack of impulse control.
 
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